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Ambition is a curse. It leaves you always yearning for things that are just out of reach.

You set big goals for yourself and are constantly working to achieve them. Or you're anxiously obsessing about achieving them. Or you feel guilty for not achieving them.

Ambition also squanders small accomplishments.

Publish a blog post? But you didn't publish your book.

Get a promotion? But you're still not manager.

Host a party and cook an amazing dinner? But you didn't get your Pinterest-worthy name cards and table settings in place.

The concept of "having guilt for not living up to your self-mandated expectations" is a double-edged sword. It keeps you motivated, but it also bums you out when you didn't get as far as you'd hoped.

The character Michael Scott jokes in The Office that his biggest strengths are also his biggest weaknesses. "I work too hard. I care too much." In terms of ambition, this is probably something you can relate to.